Description
This article is from the Natural Migraine
Cures FAQ, by an588@freenet.carleton.ca (Catherine Woodgold)
with numerous contributions by others.
5.1) Theory of biofeedback
With biofeedback, a person learns to control a body function
which was not under direct conscious control, but was indirectly
under conscious control.
Here is an example to explain what is meant by a body function
under indirect conscious control. Generally speaking, a person
can't decide to do the following: "I'll flip a coin, and if it
comes up heads, I'll immediately make my heart beat faster, even
though I'll still be sitting down." However, a person can decide,
"If the coin comes up heads, then I'll put up my hand to ask a
question in front of this roomful of people, which I'm nervous
about doing." As soon as the person sees the coin come up heads,
their heart starts to pound because of their nervousness. Yet
all that happened was that they made a decision and then flipped
a coin. Thus, their conscious thoughts affected the heart rate.
In this way, heart rate is indirectly under conscious control.
Body functions such as muscle tension, finger temperature, and
levels of some hormones in the blood (such as adrenalin in the
above example) are under indirect conscious control. Some of
these functions are involved in headaches.
Biofeedback means making information about one's body available
to the conscious mind. Devices which measure muscle tension,
finger temperature etc. and which supply that information to the
person are biofeedback devices.
Gradually, a person learns the semi-conscious thought patterns
that make the device show the desired result, such as warm
fingers. It's like learning to ride a bicycle. Once the skill
has been learned, the person can use it at any time, without
needing the biofeedback device. For example, a person who has
gone through many learning sessions with a thermometer and has
learned to warm their fingers can then warm their fingers after
that without using a thermometer.
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health, migraine, headache, biofeedback, herbs, treatment, cure
